Its been more than 3 years now, we are out of Orkut and running this forum. With time We have grown and achieved a lot but there are miles to go. Creating this thread so every one of us can put down thoughts on improvements and how we can take this forum to the next level. We would seriously appreciate if you put your thoughts in 3 sections like below,

What you like about this forum the mostWhat you DO NOT like about this forumHow we can Improve

Do not hesitate and do not mince your words/ thoughts. Your input matters.

Share On:

"Thank you" is a small word to say. Its a great platform. the UI is great and the indexing is superb.One thing that can be incorporated- Allowing pics over PM.

I have some other hobbies too and hence a member to other forums. There is One thing I found v helpful is a sticky thread containing links to several thread that have the basic infos. Suppose a new member joins who is new to the planted things. in that scenario- A thread with the links on basics, nitrogen cycle, lighting, dosing, co2, a basic setup guide(can be a journal thread) for low tech/ high tech, etc etc; can of great help I think. I believe by doing so, many new threads will not be opened by people asking about things that are already present.

This sticky thread is to be place at the home page(portal page) so that its easily visible....if possible, developers can make it flashy so that it attracts attention... thats all from my end.

SanamMarik wrote:"Thank you" is a small word to say. Its a great platform. the UI is great and the indexing is superb.One thing that can be incorporated- Allowing pics over PM.

I have some other hobbies too and hence a member to other forums. There is One thing I found v helpful is a sticky thread containing links to several thread that have the basic infos. Suppose a new member joins who is new to the planted things. in that scenario- A thread with the links on basics, nitrogen cycle, lighting, dosing, co2, a basic setup guide(can be a journal thread) for low tech/ high tech, etc etc; can of great help I think. I believe by doing so, many new threads will not be opened by people asking about things that are already present.

This sticky thread is to be place at the home page(portal page) so that its easily visible....if possible, developers can make it flashy so that it attracts attention... thats all from my end.

Thanks for providing the opportunity to share...

You make the thread. I will make it Sticky.

Regards,Tirtha

A Bad Attitude is like a Flat Tyre. You cannot go anywhere until you change it.

Hi Other than detailed sticky or how to section which will prevent people from asking the same questions againI feel that people are not using the like option ... Rather they prefer to reply saying good job, looking great etc.Posts like these don't add value to the forum.A simple click on the like button is enough for appreciation I believeAlso if a thank button can be added to every post.So these two will reduce 40-50%Of the posts. Now some sort of policing have to be done by the moderators initially to enforce this.Finally when someone writes something uncouth or unnecessary repeatedly he should be given a warning rather than being banned. Maybe five such infractions/warnings could lead to a ban.KAC gear options could be increased to tees, keychains etc rather than just a calendar.To make thing more interesting photo entries in the calendar should be a competition. Lastly a big thank you to all who's who of KAC for making this hobby so much easier.

What you like about this forum the most1. The ability to interact with like-minded people who practice their hobby in the same local environment.2. The ease of use.3. The presence of members with wide knowledge and experience and their willingness to share it.4. The very fact that there are people who can run such a wonderful and useful forum.5. The fact that you want to move ahead by opening this thread.What you DO NOT like about this forum1. The superior attitude in general. The forum belongs to people at all levels, but you get the impression that what matters here are top-end, high-tech installations.2. Some of the experienced make no attempt at politeness in many cases when talking to beginners. There is often a level of sarcasm and 'you think you know too much' in the replies. Sarcasm and obfuscation are cheap tricks. You are really great when you are magnanimous with knowledge. Unfortunately a few eggs spoil the basket. Moderators should be aware of such trends and counsel these members.3. Many posts asking questions go unattended. Either the answers are not known or no one bothers to take them up. My feeling is that moderators should step in on such posts and help close the tread.How we can Improve1. I would like a more active role from moderators, especially in the beginners area. 2. I am amazed that this seems to be a men's only hobby in our parts. How do we encourage the fair sex to join this great hobby? If we can, that will have a long-term impact.3. The membership is widespread across the country - so not everyone can be a physical presence. Let us try and make everyone feel at home by being less 'clubby' in posts. You can even have a forum called 'The club' where those who know each other well can exchange notes without constraints. Some similar websites (in another hobby) offer a hair-down facility like this. A member has to join and takes the good with the bad without complaint

I admit that I have not been a member here for long enough to pass judgement with conviction. But I believe that I have tons of experience in similar setup,s and that gives me the ability to try and help this one become the best forum for aquarium hobbyists in India. So please take my comments with that background in mind.Good luck!Sumit

Sumit K Sen wrote:What you DO NOT like about this forum1. The superior attitude in general. The forum belongs to people at all levels, but you get the impression that what matters here are top-end, high-tech installations.

I am not sure about it. Personally after being in hobby for a decade, now I started using bit more specialized stuffs (Not top end though) but it was never to show off. If someone does it, he is making himself cheap. When I started hobby I have started with T8 tube lights and DIY CO2 setup just like everyone else and things started piling up slowly with time when gradually I got experience a bit more.

2. Some of the experienced make no attempt at politeness in many cases when talking to beginners. There is often a level of sarcasm and 'you think you know too much' in the replies. Sarcasm and obfuscation are cheap tricks. You are really great when you are magnanimous with knowledge. Unfortunately a few eggs spoil the basket. Moderators should be aware of such trends and counsel these members.

This is a concern and you are not the first person to pointing this out. Right now we are running out of little man power from Admin and Mod side. But surely will try to fix the issue as soon as possible. This is not a desirable environment to have and we didn't start the forum for mud slinging at the first place.

3. Many posts asking questions go unattended. Either the answers are not known or no one bothers to take them up. My feeling is that moderators should step in on such posts and help close the tread.

As I told above, right now we are little short handed but will fix it soon.1. I would like a more active role from moderators, especially in the beginners area. How we can Improve

2. I am amazed that this seems to be a men's only hobby in our parts. How do we encourage the fair sex to join this great hobby? If we can, that will have a long-term impact.

Actually many of out other half takes interest in the hobby a lot but they are not coming to forum. As far as other female hobbyists goes, from Forum and Admin side we will not be able to do much than helping or motivating

3. The membership is widespread across the country - so not everyone can be a physical presence. Let us try and make everyone feel at home by being less 'clubby' in posts. You can even have a forum called 'The club' where those who know each other well can exchange notes without constraints. Some similar websites (in another hobby) offer a hair-down facility like this. A member has to join and takes the good with the bad without complaint

I do not think, this is a problem. From the first day of my hobby, I am out of West Bengal but now I have a second family here in this forum. Too many friends we have made and in touch on everyday basis for years. If you want to socialize more, use the Lounge section without hesitation. We kept that Sub forum just for that

I admit that I have not been a member here for long enough to pass judgement with conviction. But I believe that I have tons of experience in similar setup,s and that gives me the ability to try and help this one become the best forum for aquarium hobbyists in India. So please take my comments with that background in mind.

We don't count your inputs or views with your tenure in this forum. Constructive criticism is always welcome and feel free to give inputs whenever you want. Will look forward for more active participation from your side and hope to see a lot of value addition from you to this forum.

Good luck!Sumit

Regards,Tirtha

A Bad Attitude is like a Flat Tyre. You cannot go anywhere until you change it.

Sumit K Sen wrote:What you DO NOT like about this forum1. The superior attitude in general. The forum belongs to people at all levels, but you get the impression that what matters here are top-end, high-tech installations.

I am not sure about it. Personally after being in hobby for a decade, now I started using bit more specialized stuffs (Not top end though) but it was never to show off. If someone does it, he is making himself cheap. When I started hobby I have started with T8 tube lights and DIY CO2 setup just like everyone else and things started piling up slowly with time when gradually I got experience a bit more.

2. Some of the experienced make no attempt at politeness in many cases when talking to beginners. There is often a level of sarcasm and 'you think you know too much' in the replies. Sarcasm and obfuscation are cheap tricks. You are really great when you are magnanimous with knowledge. Unfortunately a few eggs spoil the basket. Moderators should be aware of such trends and counsel these members.

This is a concern and you are not the first person to pointing this out. Right now we are running out of little man power from Admin and Mod side. But surely will try to fix the issue as soon as possible. This is not a desirable environment to have and we didn't start the forum for mud slinging at the first place.

3. Many posts asking questions go unattended. Either the answers are not known or no one bothers to take them up. My feeling is that moderators should step in on such posts and help close the tread.

As I told above, right now we are little short handed but will fix it soon.1. I would like a more active role from moderators, especially in the beginners area. How we can Improve

2. I am amazed that this seems to be a men's only hobby in our parts. How do we encourage the fair sex to join this great hobby? If we can, that will have a long-term impact.

Actually many of out other half takes interest in the hobby a lot but they are not coming to forum. As far as other female hobbyists goes, from Forum and Admin side we will not be able to do much than helping or motivating

3. The membership is widespread across the country - so not everyone can be a physical presence. Let us try and make everyone feel at home by being less 'clubby' in posts. You can even have a forum called 'The club' where those who know each other well can exchange notes without constraints. Some similar websites (in another hobby) offer a hair-down facility like this. A member has to join and takes the good with the bad without complaint

I do not think, this is a problem. From the first day of my hobby, I am out of West Bengal but now I have a second family here in this forum. Too many friends we have made and in touch on everyday basis for years. If you want to socialize more, use the Lounge section without hesitation. We kept that Sub forum just for that

I admit that I have not been a member here for long enough to pass judgement with conviction. But I believe that I have tons of experience in similar setup,s and that gives me the ability to try and help this one become the best forum for aquarium hobbyists in India. So please take my comments with that background in mind.

We don't count your inputs or views with your tenure in this forum. Constructive criticism is always welcome and feel free to give inputs whenever you want. Will look forward for more active participation from your side and hope to see a lot of value addition from you to this forum.

Good luck!Sumit

Thank you for your detailed, candid and quality reply Tirtha.I am not out to point fingers here. In fact, I am not an affected member despite my level of competence nor is this my only passion. But I do read all posts ever since I joined and it did strike me that we could all work together to smooth the rough edges. But I do feel that the main contributors here are more keen on impact tanks when it comes to communication. I think, with their experience, they can step down a little and hand hold a few beginners with promise. Personally, I want to learn how to run a low-tech tank which appeals and use that experience later to help those who want to do the same thing. I like low-tech tanks because they seem to be more fish-friendly to me. But then I must earn my stripes, and that takes time Thanks again. I appreciate your viewpoint and am not in disagreement with anything that you have said.Cheers!Sumit

Sumit K Sen wrote:Thank you for your detailed, candid and quality reply Tirtha.I am not out to point fingers here. In fact, I am not an affected member despite my level of competence nor is this my only passion. But I do read all posts ever since I joined and it did strike me that we could all work together to smooth the rough edges. But I do feel that the main contributors here are more keen on impact tanks when it comes to communication. I think, with their experience, they can step down a little and hand hold a few beginners with promise. Personally, I want to learn how to run a low-tech tank which appeals and use that experience later to help those who want to do the same thing. I like low-tech tanks because they seem to be more fish-friendly to me. But then I must earn my stripes, and that takes time Thanks again. I appreciate your viewpoint and am not in disagreement with anything that you have said.Cheers!Sumit

Lets hope we will overcome the issues soon and have more active members. The moment there will be more active participation, the attitude issues will go away. Lets help the forum to grow in terms of quality and we will go a long way together. We never bothered about size of the forum by the count of members and always wanted to increase the quality of posts. We have to start working towards it again.

Regards,Tirtha

A Bad Attitude is like a Flat Tyre. You cannot go anywhere until you change it.